Email This Post Email This Post
Home » Dave Lewis Diary

DVD Launch: Big Screens/Big Excitement

17 November 2007 2,132 views No Comment

I think I know how Jimmy felt during those Madison gigs with no sleep.

From last weekend it’s been a no stop juggling act with work and the ever time consuming extra curricular projects. The exciting opportunity to provide 50 TBL prize winners with tickets for Wednesday’s London DVD launch brought with it the usual non stop checking of e-mails to determine the winners – quite a deluge as expected – thanks to all those who entered. Then there was all the logistics of escaping work and the not inconsiderable task of taking the TBL mags that were made available to the party attendees by hand to London. If you saw two struggling ageing Zep fans weighed down with two boxes going across Piccadilly mid afternoon Wednesday …well that was Mr Foy and my good self taking on the not unfamiliar role as TBL packhorses. Ahh the luxury of being part of the TBL crew

 

I’d actually started feeling unwell Tuesday night – I put it down to lack of sleep but got on with it – though when the aforementioned Mr Foy ordered a platter of savoury munchies in the pub beforehand I approached it with unusual reticence.

 

Luckily the excitement of Wednesday evening soon had me forgetting any notions of ill health. Watching the film on the big screen at the press showing was just invigorating.

 

Initial impressions: The sound is amazing – with the crowd really pushed up at the right moments. Dazed And Confused benefits from a much cleaner edit, Since I’ve Been Living You is astounding and I have to confess though not unashamedly, to having a big lump in my throat during Bonzo’s Moby Dick sequence especially the footage of Jason. The whole experience was a nostalgic blast recalling the many hours spent in front of cinema screens across the home counties 30 years ago (back home yesterday I checked the old diary which for Nov 17 1976 said ‘’To Cambridge for the fourth viewing of the Zep film in 10 days!‘’).

 

It was also my pleasure to share the playback with Mark Harrison – a legendary fan not always in the best of health these days but hopefully gaining much inspiration from these heady days. Luckily he restrained to shouting out ’’Jimmy’’ at regular intervals as he did when watching Death Wish 2 he tells me! 

 

Then it was to Madame Jo Jo’s. A great turn out with so many seasoned Zep fans old and new in attendance: A quick role call: Mr Linwood, Luis Ray, Mr and Mr’s Way, Terry Boud, Kam ,Tom Locke who took the pic on the cover of TBL17, Simply Led’s Eddie E,  Ian Gould, Andreas Stocker, Paul Harper, Krys Jantzen, Nigel Glazier, Jez and Michaela from MK, Pam, Paul Aspey, Mick Bulow, Graeme Hutch, Dave Marsh, Geoff Adamson from up north who I last saw on a plane as we travelled back from seeing P and P in New York in ’95…  and so many more who made it a very memorable event.  Letz Zep did the biz as the appropriate live attraction.

 

A big thanks to Cat Hollis and in particular Sam Pantlin at Warner Home Video who made it all possible

 

It was back to Bedford to search of a Kentucky zinger (I was feeling a lot better now and starving!) with Mr Boud …..bed at 1.45 – up at 5am and in the MK Zavvi store at 7 tidying up those Mothership displays. It’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it!

It’s just non stop at the moment to be sure.

Exhausted? You betcha.

But as Jimmy said about that ‘73 tour – why go to sleep when there’s so much to soak up right now  (quick media watch -fantastic review of Mothership by David Grohl in the NME  who highlights their song writing skills and a piece in The Times today about the Mothership mastering comparing the difference in sound.)

 

I’ll leave you with one final example of the way it is right now.

Getting a taxi to catch the train to London, Gary Foy’s dialogue with the driver.

So where are you going?’’ enquires the driver:

‘’To a Led Zeppelin launch in London’’ replies Gary

‘’Oh how’s his finger?’’ replies said taxi driver without hesitation.

Interest in Wayne Rooney’s latest mishap it would seem has got nothing on our man’s hopefully much improving injury.

 

Led Zeppelin: the people’s band in 2007 …..who an earth would have thought it!  What a week. I need some sleep. ..but hey there’s a mag to be written so it’s ever onward. Right a quick look at the DVD before hand…Since I’ve Been Loving You I think: Cue multi image of our then 29 year old hero swathed in blue leaning over that Gibson

Oh Jimmy…..

 

It’s not just a great time to be a Led Zeppelin fan right now…it’s fucking fantastic.       

 

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Comments are closed.